Planning on watching today’s River Hawks and Retrievers game? Catch the action at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, MD, as the Retrievers hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. Massachusetts-Lowell come into this America East conference matchup as the -7.5 favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 162.5 points.

MASSACHUSETTS-LOWELL RIVER HAWKS VS UMBC RETRIEVERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: UMBC Retrievers +7.5

This game will be played at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena at 7:00 ET on Thursday, February 8th.

WHY BET THE UMBC RETRIEVERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 74-68 in favor of the Retrievers.
  • Not only will UMBC pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +7.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 162.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 142 points.

Pressure Builds for Massachusetts-Lowell as Away Favorites

Massachusetts-Lowell is 15-6 overall and 6-2 in America East games. They have gone 9-4 in non-conference games, and they are 8-3 on the road this season. The River Hawks are favored in this one, and they have gone 10-4 when favored.

UMBC is coming off an 89-73 win over New Hampshire. Over their last 10 road games, the River Hawks are 7-3, and they have won their last four road games.

Massachusetts-Lowell has been a solid team vs the spread this season, going 9-9. Their road ATS mark is an impressive 8-3. Over their last 3 road games, the River Hawks are 3-0 ATS and they are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road contests. However, their ATS record as the favorite is just 6-8 and they are 1-2 vs the spread in their last 3 games as the favorite.

This season, the over/under record for Massachusetts-Lowell games is 8-10 and today’s line of 162.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (146.7). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 145 points.

Compared to their season average of 80 points per game, Massachusetts-Lowell struggled in their previous game. Against New Hampshire, the River Hawks scored 73 points while finishing with a field goal percentage of 43.1%. Currently leading the team in scoring is Ayinde Hikim who comes into today’s matchup averaging 15.2. Max Brooks also heads into the game with a PPG average of 12.3.

So far this season, the Massachusetts-Lowell defense has been performing well, ranking 75th in the country at 67.7 points allowed per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Massachusetts-Lowell’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 37.3% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 25.1% this season.

Taking a Look at the Retrievers Chances at Home

UMBC will look to snap a two-game losing streak at home when they take on Massachusetts-Lowell. The Retrievers are 4-6 at home this season and 5-5 in their last 10 games at home. So far this year, they are 7-16 overall and 2-6 in America East play.

After their win over Albany, UMBC’s record as the underdog is now 5-12. They have been the underdog in 17 of their 23 games this season. The Retrievers have gone 1-4 when favored and are 5-10 in non-conference games.

UMBC has been solid vs. the spread this season, going 12-10. However, their ATS record at home is just 4-6 this year. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Retrievers have gone 7-3 vs. the spread. In their last 3 home games, UMBC is just 1-2 ATS.

UMBC’s over/under record this season is 14-8 and today’s line of 162.5 is similar to the average scoring total in their games (162.6). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 186 points, which is higher than today’s OU line.

Coming off their recent game, the UMBC offense tallied 114 points in a matchup against Albany. Their field goal percentage for the game was 57.5%, and they made 6 threes. Dion Brown is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 18.3 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Marcus Banks Jr. brings a PPG average of 13.6 into the game.

Looking at the UMBC defense, they will be looking for a better performance considering they are currently conceding 83.0 points per game (330th). On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.8 threes per game vs. Massachusetts-Lowell. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 33.6%.